the chronicles of a dreamer playing house

‘Tis the Season to be Married

This wasn’t Mr. Ladyfingers and my first Christmas together. That honor goes to the Christmas of 2009, during which I was laid up on my couch, unable to walk, sit, move, or lie comfortably due to a … weird medical thing.

It wasn’t our first Christmas living together, either – that would be last year, which was also our first Christmas as an engaged couple.

This season did have the distinction, however, of being the first Christmas we spent as a married pair. To celebrate the occasion, we carried forth a few of traditions we started last year, and started new ones for our new life together.

This year, we also bought a few ornaments to represent the year and its goings on, with the intention of doing so each year following. Over the course of the month, we received additional ornaments from Aunt Ladyfingers and a special blogging friend from the Bee.

Top row, left to right: A puppy ornament to represent Puppy Ladyfingers; my Bee moniker in ornament format from Mrs. Seabreeze; a little something we picked up for our cat, since he may have felt left out (being black and white, it was the only thing we found that could really rep him well).

Middle: Our new shared last initial.

Bottom: Aunt Ladyfingers’ gift to us (we weren’t quite as cold as this couple!), and our ornamental gift to Puppy Ladyfingers.

This year, as with last, we attempted to snap a few self-portraits with the pup in front of the Ladyfingers Family Christmas Tree… but as usual, she’s a bit camera shy.

That, combined with our poorly timed and placed shooting in the middle of the day in front of a large picture window made for… a very, very ludicrous holiday shoot.

She didn’t really love the antlers we bought her, either.

I, on the other hand, was a big, big fan.

Christmas morning came and went with the usual flutter of wrapping paper and subsequent isolation with our new goodies. Mr. L made out with a Yankees knit cap and belt buckle (yep) from my dad; and a Christmas story T-shirt, boxer shorts (what?), a new wallet, a baseball trivia book, and an iPod.

I’m sensing a pattern here… I don’t believe she’s a fan of things on her head.

In all, it was quite the banner year in the newly minted L household. There were tears aplenty on my part when I received my first-ever “To My Wife” Christmas card. I remember my mom getting one of those every year, oversized and puffy with sentimental somethings inside. I used to think they were so lame. Is that what growing up does to you? Makes you cry at cards and that part in “A League of Their Own” when Betty Spaghetti finds out her husband died in the war? If so, I’m a total grown-up.

Pretty soon, we’ll be ringing in the New Year, and then it’s that sad, dead period of the year with no major holidays until the Fourth of July (or holidays period, if you count Memorial Day).

How was Christmas in your household? Any traditions — either old or new?